The National Park of the Soul
one
When my kids were young I used to love Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
· Fern Lake trail is one of my favorite places to hike.
· For the first mile of this trail it is relatively flat as it runs next to a bubbling mountain river, very beautiful indeed.
But if you didn’t know what lies ahead you might become bored after thirty minutes or so, thinking that was all there was too it. And you might quit and turn back never reaching the amazing waterfalls, mountain lakes and worst of all, not reaching the summit!
On the other hand, if you had a map of the entire National Park with clearly marked trails from experienced hikers who have been to the top and marked out the best way to go, then you would know that something amazing lies ahead. And you would know the trail is not only for expert hikers, but you too can make it to the top - if you just don’t quit.
My first time with my kids, I wanted to begin at Fern Lake TH,- to Odessa Lake, then up and over to Bear Lake and Back. However,
Volunteer Rangers said: “Its too Dangerous, Don’t even try.”
· Two Old Ladies with handbags and dress shoes
· 2 Emotions: Anger and Joy
The Life of Prayer is similar…Most Catholics were taught Vocal Prayer as a small child: the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and many people speak to God in their own words all day long. This is vocal prayer, the very beginning of the journey but certainly not the whole landscape of prayer. There is a whole “national park” of the soul waiting to be explored. Sadly, many never venture into the amazing landscape of the soul because it was never shown to them. They never go on to Meditation or Contemplation.
Well, we have the map and the Expert Guides
· Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross
· Who tell us: You too can reach the top
· Start out and Just don’t Quit
· Most don’t know the teachings of Teresa and are afraid of John, but over the next week or so I want to open up for you this landscape of the soul from their writings
· Because we have somewhere amazing to go!
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Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross lay out for us the stages in the journey of the soul to union with God and perfect happiness. The landscape of prayer has been divided into (9) stages:
(1) Vocal prayer
(2) Meditation – 1st Teresian Mansion
(3) Affective prayer – 2nd Mansion
(4) Prayer of simplicity – 3rd Mansion
· The Dark Night of the Senses
(5) Infused contemplation – 4th Mansion
(6) Prayer of quiet,
(7) Prayer of union – 5th Mansion
(8) Prayer of conforming union – 6th Mansion
· The Dark Night of the Spirit
(9) Prayer of transforming union – 7th Mansion
Stage 5 or Infused contemplation is a mountain top experience. Most importantly – it is for you – all you have to do is want it, strike out and don’t turn back.
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This journey gets easier as we go.
As we journey in prayer, the first two stages are the hardest an then it gets easier from 3-9 because it becomes more simple, less complex, less effort and then God breaks in an does the praying for you - effortless
Vocal prayer and meditation take the most effort. With Stages 3-4 it gets more simple, more restful…
· We begin to desire to spend time with Jesus and Mary
· w/o talking
· w/o trying to figure things (discursive meditation)
· But simply to remain alone with Him in quiet
Add here the story of Teresa teaching me to pray when she was 5 and wanted to spend time talking.
John of the Cross describes this as
“An inclination to remain alone and in quietude…If those in whom this occurs, know how to remain quiet (not talking or trying to figure things out) they will soon in that unconcern and idleness delicately experience the interior nourishment.”
This prepares us for stage 5 (contemplation)
“Contemplation is nothing but a hidden, peaceful and loving inflow of God. If it is given room, it will inflame the spirit with love.” John of the Cross
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A the beginning of our journey lets recall what prayer is.
Prayer is friendship with God – in fact all of life is just about intimacy with Jesus.
Teresa of Avila, Mental prayer…is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; its means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.
So Prayer is Friendship with God. And what does friendship take?
· Time
· Talking – sharing
· Listening, understanding, loving
· Just being together
five
Vocal prayer is the first stage and meditation is the 2nd. And according to the Great Teresa, when we have the habit of daily meditation we have entered the 1st Mansion or Castle. The Rosary is meditation. Meditation is to read or listen to something from the Word of God, to reflect on it so that we can grow in our knowledge and love of God and then draw a practical resolution we put into practice.
But God wants to take you deeper and give more of Himself to you. He wants you to go on from talking and thinking so much to just giving Him your loving attention – the next stage of prayer.
Once you have the habit of reading and reflecting on the Word of God and you have stored up much knowledge about Jesus and the spiritual life, there is less need to read, to learn, to think hard and figure new things out. This is when God is inviting you to a more simple form of prayer. This is where we have less of a desire to read and think and more desire to just call up one idea from the Gospel of the day or a past meditation and just sit silently with the Lord. Give yourself the space and time and let God draw you into an adventure greater than any you could imagine!
St John Paul II writes - But it would be wrong to think that ordinary Christians can be content with a shallow prayer that is unable to fill their whole life. Especially in the face of the many trials to which today's world subjects faith, they would be not only mediocre Christians but "Christians at risk". They would run the insidious risk of seeing their faith progressively undermined and would perhaps end up succumbing to the allure of "substitutes"… St John Paul II, Novo Millenio Inuente 34